Must be a Mistake
by The Kunai
Summary: Gai wakes up in the hospital. Apparently he's sick and Kakashi's looking out for him, as much as he hates it. Oneshot dribble of their conversation that particular evening.


...somehow, these come when I'm listening to music repeating in my ears at three AM. Dribble about Gai and Kakashi. Enjoy.

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**Must be a Mistake**

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"Gai?"

Thin eyes edged with long lashes snapped open, feebly wandered to his left side to view the man who was kneeling beside the bed he laid on. One gray eye seemingly bored with what was going on, but an illuminated darkness in his iris by the moon. The other eye covered by a headband. Fluffy silver hair that was blown in several directions, though never forward unless he decided to take a bath.

It was unmistakable. He grinned weakly, showing his teeth but failing to give off the glimmer as they used to.

"My eternal rival…Hatake Kakashi…what a pleasant surprise…" An arm that had been placed neatly at his side lifted from the elbow down and gave a witheringly pathetic thumbs up. It was shaking…he put it down again, closed his eyes. Felt an ice-cold cloth slopped onto his forehead after his bangs had been brushed aside…

Tenderly? Must be a mistake.

Kakashi's voice was still distinct through that famous mask of his, "You weren't the only one surprised."

And still just as blunt apparently, Gai thought with a grimace. The only action he could do that wouldn't make him feel like crap, although the towel did help with the pounding headache that pulsed through his veins. He felt it drip into his hair, beginning to boil…

The other sensei blinked as he kneaded the cloth soothingly to test its temperature. Was it really that bad? Removing it, he wrung it out before immersing it in the ice-water bowl that he kept on a desk nearby. It was at this point that Gai realized he wasn't at his home. His place didn't have bright lights on this late, he observed as he saw the sky outside of his window inky in color.

"…where are we?"

"Hospital," Kakashi answered as he slapped the towel onto his forehead again, "Meaning you get to wear striped pajamas and lay in adjustable beds that still murder your back."

Haha, Sharingan boy made a funny. Plus, he was dead right. Tiny grin, closed eyes due to more water dripping and making it past his thick eyebrows. Odd that this time the conversation was reversed—Kakashi was saying more than he himself.

He noticed it too, "…where's your usual chatter?"

"Left it on the door…but never fear—" Cough. Hack. Raising his voice had consequences, and his throat clawed at him more than it had before. Something tasted copperish… "…I'll retrieve it tomorrow morning…"

Haha, Turtle boy made a funny. And he was dead right.

There was a reason he said that, although the copy-nin was surprised that he had remembered before passing out. Most likely Macho-man here had been too proud to treat himself when he first got sick, which is why it had progressed to him spewing blood out of his mouth and collapsing at his own front door, Kakashi thought sardonically. Sometimes his self-rules could be so stupid…well, nevermind. They were always stupid. Along with the green jumpsuit that was a tad too teasing to be his actual outer-wear during the day.

He felt his thoughts straying slightly. Of all colors, couldn't he have picked something other than…

At this moment his eye had roamed to the clock perched far above Gai's head, close to the window to make it easier to view when there was light outside. A few minutes to eleven. So, he had stayed here six hours, hm? How Tsunade and the other nurses had let him stay this long, he couldn't know. Lee would have probably stayed here as well, had his parents not insisted that he get a good night's sleep and that 'former sensei would be proud of him if he got proper rest as much as being faithful'...or so they said. But it would be closing time soon…his hand reached over to remove that cloth again, not minding the fact that his glove was quite damp at this point and his pretty fingers were becoming pruny.

The green beast had fallen silent again too. Was he sleeping? Oh wait. He snored when he slept, Kakashi snorted in distaste, wringing out the towel again and dunking it back into the icy pool. At this rate, he would probably have frostbite before he was shooed out of here…

"Kakashi…you don't need to do that…"

He paused, still taken aback somewhat. Yet he ignored the implied meaning and this time slapped it irritably on him, but in a…brotherly sort of way.

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't. It's just a flu bug…what's so—" Sputtery cough, "—bad…about it…"

These self-rules. Gai was so proud of himself for his willpower, and even though a little green man in a white doctor's jacket was waving his stick arms and yelling at him to try to use common sense he just wouldn't let himself give in. Especially to Kakashi. There was still a lot of brittle dignity to preserve with honey and steel walls. No virus that infiltrated his security would make him stand down. A shivering arm tugged at the cloth, before managing to remove it.

"Too hot?" The silver-haired jônin asked, snatching it away before Gai could try tossing it into the trash can that was conveniently placed beside Kakashi's chair.

"No…" Somehow the comment forced a few not-so-innocent thoughts into his brain, but that would have to be reserved for another moment as he felt another pulse of pain come at him. Mental punch, missed, oooh! He's down!

As if reading his mind, Kakashi rolled both of his eyes though only one was visible to view. Gai, Lee, and Naruto were just…annoyingly alike. To a very infuriating extent.

The sound of dripping water, then a reckless sinking, then finally a lazy slap on that was rolled up away from Gai's wide nose to prevent him from suffocating. No denying, the face wash had been a bit refreshing, although his skin was still tingling everywhere else. The large man twitched, although when he coughed again there was no blood in the back of his throat this time.

A silence, for once, was between them. Then again, this was one of the very few times when they were truly together. Alone. No 'Gai-senseeeei!' or 'Hi, Kakashi-san…' or anything like that. Although the silence was awkward, it was welcomed into the healthy and sick arms.

When Kakashi began to repeat the cycle again, the re-cooled cloth held into the same hand, this time Gai had grabbed the other by his skinny wrist. Fairly glazed eyes gazing intently at him, as if he had some ugly mole in the middle of his forehead. Or some interesting blood vessel pattern in his eyes. Or oversized eye boogers.

…err, no. He remembered a competition between them about that.

Tortured pulse, though he wasn't squeezing very tightly, the generally exuberant sensei noted dimly. He even felt the long-forgotten scars across this particular wrist, and by the way the muscles were toned he could feel that it was this hand he held his naughty book in most. Water ran down his own calloused fingers while he rubbed the sensitive pressure point caringly with his thumb…meaningfully…even as he closed his eyes Kakashi was taking the hint and sliding his hand back to meet Gai's own, dropping the soggy towel with a 'plop'…

"Kakashi-sen—I mean, Kakashi?"

Both of them recognized the voice, and the pink-haired kunoichi let herself all the way through the door. The one who was referred to dropped his grip on the patient's hand instantly, leaving him out in the cold so to speak. It didn't matter; would have added a blow to his pride if the girl took notice. How could he have let it slip…

Oh, there was the cloth. Just barely able to reach it, he coaxed it gently with the tips of his fingers and…finally, got a grip on it. Weakly he lifted it up and held it level to the rest of his body, "You dropped something, Kakashi. I win…"

Grin. Stronger than the first attempt, but the teeth still didn't flash luminously. If he tried to do a thumbs-up, it would have dropped the cloth.

The last segment was just an automatic add-on, as far as Kakashi could tell. There was no competition about anything. He made an overly melodramatic sigh before nodding, "I s'pose you did," before turning back to Sakura, "I'm sorry, Sakura."

She smiled. No wonder Lee adored her so much, Gai muttered in his head with a small beam. She was actually rather cute like that, "It's alright Kakashi. I can take it from here. You should go now; visiting hours are over."

Of course he knew that. But it was a nice reminder especially after that rather awkward moment that had passed. He stood casually, testing his hand for any numbness before proceeding forward again and waving with the drier of the two appendages, "Good night, Gai."

"…wait…"

Oh god. Now what. Something sappy? Kakashi didn't feel inclined to turn around.

"I have better things to do anyway, you know."

Oops. That hit a wrong note. Gai scowled again, but replaced it with a happier expression soon afterward, "…just…thank you."

That was new. Interested, his Sharingan saw through his head band but he decided to give the patient the courtesy of both of them instead of just one, "…no problem."

As he guessed, it wasn't over.

"This time, my eternal rival…you may have gotten to me and defeated me but I assure you I'll—" Oh, there was his chattery voice. Gaining strength in each word, he was only held back by the particularly nasty cough. Fortunately, no blood was coughed up, "…once I am fully healed I shall challenge you again. You can count on it."

Grin. Again. The cloth had been taken away by Sakura, so he was ready to do a thumbs up again. It was better than nothing, and certainly better than the nice guy pose…

Both were aware that this was only posing. Gai was generally serious about his competitions, and it wouldn't be long before the former teacher would be challenged to a paper-plane making contest, however. But for now—oh geez, he hadn't finished yet.

But seriously, he couldn't help himself. Automatic, almost customary, especially in front of this child who was beginning to twitch as she looked back and forth between the two men. Self-rules still applied, and he had to make up for his slip up earlier.

He was going on to proudly ramble on about how he would defeat Kakashi fully someday in that ridiculously raspy tone. Another sigh was let loose by the floofy-haired jônin. Still covering up, wasn't he? The only reason why he wasn't wearing a mask was because he enjoyed having brighter teeth than everyone else in the village…

Must be a mistake that he wasn't running out of there, screaming bloody murder and cries of 'NOOOO, PLEASE'...

"Gai."

"And—yes?"

He rubbed his temple before turning around again to truly exit this time.

"…shut up and go back to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."


End file.
